This was written by Brookes Beery about the trip he and my great uncle Robert Rea took west. I have left it in his original diary form. Note that the mid day meal is dinner and the evening meal is supper, as was the custom in that time. Dinner was the largest meal. I have the set of dishes from Great Uncle Robert's mother Grace and it contained a set of large dinner plates and an set of smaller supper plates.
Sept. 8, 1910
Woke up at Livingston, Montana and it was very cold. Got off there and had breakfast. They have a very good R.R. Station and started from there @8 AM. Coming out of Livingston the mountains are beautiful and are of a great height in some places. Passed Yankee Jims Gorge. Then Corwin Springs, The Devils Slide. We reached Gardiner at 10 AM. Left there at 12 o’clock. (note: they took a stagecoach in the park) Entered the Park (Yellowstone) by the northern entrance and started thru Gardiner Canyon following along the beautiful Gardiner River. Eagle’s nest built on the extreme top of a cliff – several of the cliffs were 1500 feet above roadway. Mammoth Hot Springs, Hymen Terrace, Liberty Cap, Devils Thumb, Minerva Terrace, Jupiter Terrace, Boiling River, Cupid’s Cave, Silver Gate & Hoodoos Golden Gate. Stopped @ Swan Lake Basin and camped all night. It was very cold and could hear the coyotes yelling. Saw a few deer on first day. We are going thru the Wylie Way and have tents, stove, etc.
Sept. 9, 1910
Ice in pitcher of water and very late for breakfast. It was very cold. The first stope we made was @ Apollinaris String and had a cup of water. Obsidian Cliff, Beaver Lake, Norris Geyser Basin, Minute Man, Gibbon River & Canyon, Gibbon Falls, Firehole River & Canyon. Lunch Station @ noon. Then followed Firehole River, Fountain Geyser, Mammoth Paint Pots which were very beautiful. Great Fountain Geyser, Excelsior Prismatic Lake, Upper Geyser Basin. Old Faithful Inn is a beautiful log structure & Old Faithful Geyser is just east of the Inn. We say Old Faithful play with searchlight turned on same and different colors there we shown were beautiful. Saw Riverside Geyser play @ 6 PM and also the Castle play. The Giant started to play at about 7:20 and saw it at a distance and it is a very rare sight as it only play from 7 to 12 days and this time it was four days late. We are about 7 or eight thousand feet above sea level and the air is very light and makes it difficult for one to breathe. On our way over here to Upper Geyser Basin we stopped @ Iron Spring and drank a little of the water. We saw quite a number of deer on the way over. The entire day after warming up was very pleasant. Saw Boiling River, etc., Biscuit Basin, Roaring Mountain, Frying Pan.
Sept. 10, 1910
Started out on a walk with a guide and there was an old man along with us who insisted upon keeping a couple of stones he picked up but the soldier made him put them down. In the wintertime, the soldiers get around very little and when they do go they go on snow shoes. We started out along the Giant Castle, Bee Hive, Giantess Sponge, Lion which played while we were there, Lioness on the side of which are the two cubs. Sawmill Geyser was playing and it does remind me of a sawmill a great deal with its chug chug. Economic Geyser was playing and there is no overflow. The Oblong is a very beautiful grotto. Splendid Riverside. Morning Glory is very beautiful and possesses beautiful colors. The Beauty Spring is where the Indians thought that if you would take 30 some baths, you would become very beautiful. Handkerchief Pool is where one takes a handkerchief and places it in the pool and it will go down and in a little while will come back up. The Sponge resembles a sponge a great deal. Three Sisters. Specimen Lake. Emerald Pool of green centre & yellow outside. The Punch Bowl is where they pipe the hot water to camp. All of these geysers are of very hot water and when they play, they send an abundant lot of steam and there is most always a roar before a large one starts. Saw Old Faithful play twice this morning. As far as we have gone the trees have been mostly fir but occasionally we would see a spruce. Morning Glory, Mortar Pan working. Riverside played. Broken Heart. The Castle played at dawn and saw Old Faithful play last night and various colors were beautiful. Saw a silver tipped bear come down with her two cubs to the garbage pile. The visitors are know as dudes and the people who work are called savages and they eat in separate tent. Cannot eat with personal friend visitors.
Sept. 11, 1910
Started out of Upper Geyser Basin Camp about eight o’clock. The weather was very cold and it was snowing. The first point of interest were the Kepler Cascades. Looking down a great distance, the water is very beautiful jumping from cliff to cliff. Along here it is quite wooded and the trees are spruce, fir & pine. We passed the Continental Divide at Isa Lake where the snow melts, the water runt to both oceans. Shoshone Pass is wehre we reached the highest elevation on the roadway of 8345 feet and off at a distance you could see Shoshone Lake. Then we first noticed Yellowstone Lake which is a very beautiful sight to behold. We then went on to Thumb’s Lunch Station. After eating we went out ans saw two black bears. Then we went down and saw the Paint Pots which are of several diff. colors. The drive in afternoon is thru the woods of quite large pine trees but goes mostly along the Lake which is very beautiful. We saw a deer, ducks and sea-gulls. We noticed the natural bridge which is very unique. Noticing Mountains covered with snow at a distance of about four miles and Lake waves which are not very high always coming to shore. We reached Lake Camp about 4:30 in the afternoon and wind was blowing at quite a gale. Had a snow in the evening and stayed around stove and talked.
Sept. 12, 1910
Left Lake Camp about 8 AM. It was snowing a little. The drive along Yellowstone River was very attractive and could see a lot of wild geese, ducks and a seagull or so. We noticed a couple of elk way up on the hill. The first point of interest was a mud geyser. Nearby is Gothic Grotto Green gabled over boiling spring. The upper falls which are very beautiful. Then we reached the Grand Canon whose beauties I am unable to express in words. There one sees all the colors which seem to blend. Way down at the bottom the waters of green and blue rush forth with their own will and as they fall from one plat to another they are magnificent. We went out on Point Lookout and what a beautiful sight it was. Noticed the eagles in their nests. We got out at Inspiration Point and walked back to camp. Every so often we would step out on a point and view the Canyon again. When we reached the Great Falls, we walked down 494 steps to view them and on coming up we had to stop several times in order to get our breath. On the way down the Canyon, we noticed two black bears and one brown one and on the way back saw another black bear. We got in our tent at Canyon Camp at about 12 o’clock and after dinner we went down and tool Uncle Tom’s trail which is very steep climbing and very dangerous. Out on a rock you can see the falls rushing down and walking further down, you see a little hot Springs rushing forth. On our way back to camp we got caught in quite a rain. Noticed a couple of deer on our way home Decker went in Savage Tent to eat and they brought him our in a hurry. Went over to the dance hall and danced one dance. Went back to tent early and it was very cold. Went to bed early.
Sept. 13, 1910
Left the Canyon Camp @7:30 and had a twenty-four mile drive back to Swan Lake Camp for dinner. We noticed the wedded trees. The next point of interest was the Virginia Cascades which was a fine sight and a great distance down the river. After dinner we started for Gardiner at 1:30 PM. On our way we noticed about twenty-four deer. We do not get to Gardiner until 7:15 PM. Arrived in Livingston at 9:15 and went to Park Hotel which is a very good one. Stayed in room and talked during the evening.
Sept. 14, 2010
Stayed in bed until about noon and then went out and had dinner. The streets in Livingston looked just like a mud road. They say that the winters in Livingston are very cold and the wind is something fierce. Not much doing there in the winter time. Decker started for Seattle at 2:25 PM. We started for Helena at 3:30. Coming out of Livingston the mountains are quite high. Went thru a couple of tunnels, one of which was quite long. Bozeman, a town of about ten thousand and surely one booming place. Most of the land in around here is farmed by dry farming method. Land worth about $75. Just the valley farmed and the rest mountains or hills. Reached Helena @8:10 and went up to Grandon Hotel.
Sept. 15, 2010
Stayed in bed until about noon and after dinner, we took a walk down town and did not see very much and appeared to be rather quiet. Helena is a town of about 20,000. Came down to station early and had supper there. Leave Helena at 6:20. Reached Havre at 2:55 AM. Left there at 4:10 and reached Chinook @ 5 AM. Went up to Hotel Chinook – Sesiel was there.
Sept. 16, 2010
Got up at 8:30 AM and had breakfast and then went around stable and started out. Brought a lady and her little baby out to her father’s ranch. The land on the way is quite hilly and to me does not look very valuable. Sesiel’s is about 26 miles from town and we reach here @3:00 PM. Had something to eat. In the evening we had grouse and wild duck and the home eating surely tasted fine. Sat around in the evening and talked. A fine moonlight night
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